history- india

• indian society and religion:

  • caste system in place. divided people into a hierarchy based on their work and duty-> untouchables at the bottom.
  • muslims= 20 %
  • the population in india in the 1900s was 300 million
• india provided spices, tea, fabric and provided a market for britian.
• britian and india attitudes towards eachother 1914

  • difficult to assess what the majority of indians felt as many scared to speak out.
  • good english was needed to pass civil service exams- stripping indian culture.
  • council of india at this time was based in london with 15 men. none were indian.
• WWI and india.

  • INC and ML offerered their support. tilak offered loyalty. hoped if royal to raj, get greater responsibilities in return after war. 17 pronces of the largest princely states offered their armies to the raj and built hospital ships to aid war effort.
  • 1.5 million indians contributed in combat and non combat roles. 60,000 troops died.
  • by end of war, ind contributed £146 million
• how did the war effect india economically?

  positive- share holders saw dividends rocket. e.g. in bombay-> divedends for cloth mills rose by 6 % in 1914 to over 30 % in 1917. also allowed for industrialisation which brits previously refused.

  negative- trade was disrupted, price of indian made goods rose by 60 % and price of imported goods rose by 190 %
• the montagu declaration 1917 : there would be some movement towards self government. no timescale was given.
• the rowlatt act 1919

  • laws that prevented groups of over 3 from meeting. put in place as there was fear of uprising against the british.
• the amritsar masscre

  • a group met in the jallianwala bagh to discuss the british. Dyer sent in army as they should not be meeting due to the rowlatt acts, and ordered them to keep shooting until they ran out of bullets. indians could not get put of park as only one narrow exit. 379 dead. 1200 injured.
• amritsar masscre-> impact

  • the hunter committe believed that he was in the wrong. he shot children and women too. he lost his position as general and sent him back to britian (here he was applauded for protecting the raj)
  • some brits felt dyer destroyed all posibility of indian natianalists and raj working together to create a future subcontinent.
  • in india, the punjab sub-committee of the INC set up own enquiry. examined 1700 whitnesses and published 650 statements. the final report included graphic photographs and expressed the anger among indian subjects of the raj. ]
• montagu-chelmsford reforms 1918

  • aimed to increase indian participation in government and towards eventual self government.
  • the reforms expanded legislitative councils and increased indian rep in gov marking an important step towards indian self rule.
• government of india act 1919:

  • passed based. on the recommendations of the montagu-chelmsford report. introduced the concept of dyarchy (divided the powers between centeral and provincial gov) and increased indian rep in gov.
• the growth of nationalism:

  • the lucknow pact 1916; agreement reached between INC and ML to make sure that muslims were represented on new councils. aimed to foster a hundu-muslim unity and present a united front for political reforms from the british gov. aimed to agree in self gov. the pact concerned british.
• the growth of nationalism;

  formation of the home rule leagues 1916

  • tilak and besant
  • tilak gained 32k in just 2 areas, besant grew slower but had committees that covered most of india
  • 2 groups supported eachother - toured country giving lectures and pamphlets
  • BRITISH RESPONSE- arrested campaigners and tilak and besant, students forbidden to hold meetings
• the growth of nationalism:

  INC and gandhi

  • gandhi formed a strong relationship with gokhale
  • 1917 he got involved with local metters
  • during ww1 gandhi worked on forming important relationships with Bihar lawyer, muslims and businessmen that had been neglected by congress.
  • muslims supported his take over of congress 1920 and businessmen bank rolled his non cooperation campaign.
• satyagraha -> non violent resistence
• purna swaraj -> self rule
• non co operation movement in 1920 -> gandhi called for indians to boycott british goods adn instuitions as a form of non violent protest.
• in 1920 gandhi emerged as congress leader; members of congress had to support him as there was no one challenging him (gokhale dead 1915, tilak dead 1920 and besant was a woman so was over looked)
• the non cooperation campaign included;

  • closure of schools
  • refusing to buy imported goods
  • refusing invitations to social events run by the raj
  • withholding taxes
• young hooligans

  • bose, j nehru
  • they lobbied the all indian committee and congress working committee. they wanted renewed action and they wanted it now.
  • demanded full independence.
• nehru report 1928

  • instant dominion status for india (self gov)
  • congress supported. ML not happy- felt didnt address the concerns and rights of minority communities.
• lahore congress 1929

  • marked the declaration of the goal of complete independence by the INC.
• salt march 1930

  • gandhi leaves to walk 240 miles to the coast to gather salt for free. started with 78 carefully chosen supporters-- followed by thousands each day.
  • why salt? its a necessity, brits charged indians tax on salts
  • brit response- raj furious, hundreds arrested + nehru and gandhi. raj continues to repress- in june whole congress working committee arrested
• the khalifat movement was a political movement that was set up to support the caliph (their most important spiritual leader).

  • it united muslims and hindus in a common cause again british rule
• the re emergence of muslim values

  • in early 1920s tanzeem and tabligh movements aimed to strengthen the muslim communities. every town was to have a anjuman(meeting) to ensure better preaching and religious education.
  • anti-hindu sentiment grew rapidly especially in poorer areas where muslims' anger at their poor economic conditions came to be directed against hindus instead of the raj.
  • congress were no longer seen by muslims as a body that would push for independence.
• the concept of seperateness

  • the raj encourages togetherness until the 20th century. now ephasised separateness
  • worship and festivals created separateness
  • worship: noise (hindus) vs silence (muslims)
  • festivals: hindu festival of holi was troublesome for muslimes.
  • organisations also created seperateness
• break down of muslim relations with congress

  • jinnah had hoped to get INC and ML working together again. in 1927 he offered the end of the leagues support of seperate electrotes in return for 1/3 seats of assembly, cong rejected. in 1929 jinna tried again with his 14 points. this offer was again rejected by congress.
  • jinnah left for england
  • idea of a seperate muslim state began to develop.
• jinnah beliefs and aims.

  • disapproved of gandhi's mix of religiona nd politics.
  • committed congress nationalist, a moderate who disproved pf mass campaigns of non cooperation until end of 1920s
  • identified more and more with the muslim cause
• the simon commission 1927

  • gov sent 7 members headded by sir john simon out to india to investigate how the gov of india act was working and to make recommendations.
  • no indians on the commission. this sent a message to india that their future was to be decided by westminster. angry.
  • hindu leaders and a large section of the ML led by jinnah decided to boycott the commission and refuse to give evidence to commissioners.
  • anglo-indians, sikhs and untouchables helped the commission enquiries. they hoped for a better future than they were anticipating under a hindu-dominated congress
• irwin declaration 1929

  • reiterated the montagu dec of 1917 ( suggested that brit would would with ind towards self gov ) & added that dominion status would be a natural development of the original declaration. indian representatives were also invited to a round table conference where details of new indian constitution would be hammered out.
  • responses: CWC welcomed the announcement but also stated that brit should demonstrate its commitment by letting out indian political prisoners. irwin refused. this was seen as stubborn by india and led to more terroist attacks (bombing of viceroy's train)
• the moplah rebellion and the chauri chaura signalled the end of the non copoperation movements
• the poona pact was a pact between untouchables and congress to get rid of seperate electrotes and more towards reserved seats
• the second round table conference

  • sept 1931
  • congress ( gandhi ) , muslim league ( jinna and aga khan ) , untouchables ( DR ambedkar ) and sikhs ( tara singh ) all there
  • all parties demanded seperate electrotes for their communities
  • didnt agree on a solution
• the third round table conference

  • sept 1932
  • gandhi and many others didnt attend.
  • labour party didnt send any representatives
  • end of round table conferences
• the first round table conference

  • nov 1930
  • all three political parties were represented by 16 delegates
  • 58 delegates to rep india opinion
  • not congress. gandhi decided they dont go- they were still engaging in non co operation with raj and refused
  • princes sent 16 electrotes. princes give support to whatever the government say.
  • decisions made: india would run as a type of dominion, indian participation at all levels of gov.
• failure of consultation

  • viceroy willingdon chose to follow the brit gov's instructions that he should engange in only those elements of indian opinion that were prepared to work with the current administration rather than engaging in discussions with gandhi.
  • a week after returning from the 2nd RT conference, gandhi arrested
  • CWC and provincial committees rounded and imprisioned
  • youth organisations banned
  • within 4 months, over 80 000 indians were imprisioned
• indian reaction to the failure of consulation:

  • terroist activity
  • boycott of brit goods
  • youth organisations
  • united provinces bec=came more than armed camps andtroops in pesharwar and meerut were kept on armed alert
• the communal award

  • august 1932
  • designated sikhs, chritians, anglo-indians and untouchables alongside indians who were entitled to seperate eloctrates in any new indian constitution
• the government of india act 1935

  • dyarchy abolished ( system where provincial gov was divided between appointed officials and elected representatives )
  • seperate electorates introduced
  • viceroy was still british appointed but followed executive committee - mainly indians
• partial implemention

  • congress rejected as they wanted purna swaraj
  • ML objected as it didnt give them enough power and no guarantees of protection rights were given
  • by 1939 only 2/5 of the states had agreed to form the federation required by the act